According
to the Interior Ministry at least 887 Iraqis were killed during October;
however, the Health Ministry placed
the number of dead unofficially at 1448 Iraqis. These figures include civilians,
police and soldiers. The Interior Ministry's death count is slightly higher than
the September figures but significantly lower than the previous month’s. In Basra
alone, 40 dumped bodies and 27 murders were counted
in October; these deaths were not reported in the Western media outlets.